The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria's Mandate of Heaven

Chapter 1848 Unexpected Visitor
"Feel sorry."

"There's nothing to apologize for. I've achieved my goal. That's enough."

Franz paused for a moment before speaking.

"Olga, you know I'm not really interested in dancing. I'm sorry to trouble you."

Olga shook her head.

"This is the Empress's duty."

"So cheesy."

Grand Duchess Maria Anna, Franz's sister, couldn't stand it anymore.

"We're an old married couple, why are you still like this all the time?"

Maria Anna's rant was cut short when Mrs. Sophie grabbed her by the waist.

"You brat, you have no manners. You were so well-behaved when you were little, how come you've become more and more unruly as you grow up?"

Franz and Olga exchanged a helpless smile.

Olga actually wanted to matchmake Maria Anna with Grand Duke Nikolai Alexandrovich, Alexander's eldest son.

Regardless of whether Alexander liked Grand Prince Nikolai Alexandrovich or not, Grand Prince Alexandrovich would become the Crown Prince of Russia after Alexander ascended the throne.

If Franz's sister were to marry Archduke Alexandrovich, the relationship between Russia and Austria would be even more stable in the future.

Olga had another concern: Alexander was not a very traditional person, and her brother was extremely ruthless, even cruel, towards his wife, Maria Alexandrovna.

Olga was terrified of a tragedy befalling her family, but if her nephew could marry into the Austrian Empire, it would provide an extra layer of protection.

Even if Alexander were to do something unconventional in the future, he would have to consider the existence of the Austrian Empire.

Archduke Alexandrovich, in order to secure his future Tsarist throne, would certainly gravitate further towards the Austrian Empire.

As soon as Olga's opinion was put forward, the Habsburg family immediately split into two camps.

On the one hand, according to tradition, the Habsburg family was unwilling to let their daughters marry into Russia, and there were many conflicts between the Austrian Empire and Russia.

At this time, the Austrian Empire was powerful, and it would be somewhat shameful to use marriage to exchange for peace.

On the other hand, some family members felt that the marriage would benefit both Russia and Austria. As long as Russia and Austria remained united, other countries would have to be hesitant to act against them.

Gaining the goodwill of a future Tsar would be highly beneficial to the Austrian Empire, not to mention that future Tsars might have Habsburg blood.

No family in all of Europe valued bloodlines more or was more adept at bloodline politics than the Habsburgs.

The cost is only the sacrifice of one person, which is far more worthwhile than any business deal.

But Franz was well aware that the conflict between Russia and Austria could not be resolved by marriage, and even covering up the conflict would be very difficult.

Even at the height of relations between Russia and Austria, there were many people on both sides who wanted to kill each other, due to deep-seated conflicts based on religion, history, ethnicity, and geopolitics.

If we absolutely have to suggest a solution, then a powerful monarch with bloodlines from both families could come to power and directly unite the two countries.

Because both the Austrian Empire and the Russian Empire were products of monarchy, and neither of them disliked a strong monarch.

However, trying to subdue two such massive empires at the same time would be too cruel for the parties involved.

Franz knew the principle of not biting off more than you can chew, and even if such an opportunity really came up, Franz would not support it because the variables were too great and completely uncontrollable.

Bloodline, religion, culture, tradition, and even ideology will gradually fade away.

If you have outstanding abilities, that's fine, but if you don't, the more you have, the less willing you are to give up, which will only make things more dangerous.

Therefore, Franz did not cultivate any extra hobbies or ideas in young Karl and Alexander.

Speaking of the two little ones, they are different from Franz. Karl and Alexander enjoy being admired, even as mascots.

This is a problem with education; they were instilled from childhood with the idea of ​​how to be a good duke, while Franz never actually attended any classes.

In fact, Franz's ideas had already been largely formed, and even if he were to go through another period of time, he would not be easily influenced by the thoughts of others.

Olga felt somewhat apologetic towards Franz. She was already thirty-six years old, and even without being injured, she always seemed so small and dim in front of her radiant husband.

Olga also tried to help Franz share the burden, but in reality, their abilities were worlds apart. Not only could she not help Franz, but she was also easily taken advantage of.

Although Franz didn't care, Olga felt increasingly guilty.

So she decided to follow in the footsteps of her mother, Alexandra Feodorovna, and find a lover for her husband.

Olga initially thought of Baroness Fiora and Katya, who were close to her, but they each had their own problems. For example, Katya was promiscuous, and Baroness Fiora was not very attractive.

In fact, as his wife, Olga understood Franz quite well; she knew very well that Franz preferred a more Eastern appearance.

After Olga's careful search, she finally found a suitable candidate, an opera singer from Galicia.

Olga even did some research and found that the opera singer had a clean background and was very clever.

Olga was very fond of the actress named Agrafina. She initially wanted to refuse, but Olga kept raising the price to 10,000 florins before she reluctantly agreed.

Olga believes that coercion is the key factor, rather than enticement.

After all, Olga was the Empress of the Austrian Empire; if she disliked any celebrity...

That celebrity's career could be ruined in an instant, to the point that they might not even be able to find the most basic job.

This is by no means an exaggeration. The influence of stars in the 19th century was far greater than it is today, but even today, it would not be difficult for a truly powerful person to make a star disappear.

Olga suddenly felt incredibly wicked, but then she thought that in the Austrian Empire, many people would be eager for such an opportunity, so she was really lucky.

Agrafina walked in wearing a gradient-colored long dress. This unique dress originally belonged to Olga, but now it was worn by Agrafina.

In fact, Olga's tailor made special cuts to fit Agrafina's figure, especially the shoulders and back, which were very daringly exposed.

In addition, Agrafina's extremely thin waist and exaggerated proportions made her the center of attention as soon as she appeared.

The music and heartbeats seemed to be off by two beats. Some people's monocles fell off due to their dilated pupils. The next second, there were sounds of collisions, stomping, and screams.

Agrafina strolled leisurely to the Emperor and Empress, but before she could speak...

Franz then spoke to Olga, who had a smug look on her face.

Why did you bring her here?

"Keep me company for me."

"Don't you know she's from the Russian Special Third Section?"

Franz spoke casually, as if discussing something perfectly ordinary, but those close to him all wore expressions of astonishment. The most surprised was Agrafina herself; she nearly lost her balance and fell to the ground.

Agrafina arrived in the Austrian Empire at the age of six, and for many years they had only maintained a one-way communication relationship. In particular, the Third Section had only recently begun to utilize her.

"How could anyone possibly know my identity?"

Agrafina was greatly puzzled.

Franz ignored it completely and looked directly at Olga, who had no idea what was going on. In fact, she wasn't even very familiar with the name Special Third Section.

“Darling, this is someone your father sent to gather intelligence, but I think it would be fine to let her gather information about Viennese customs and culture in the theater.”

What do you think? "

Olga nodded subconsciously, while Franz calmly invited Agrafina to sit down.

“Say something to make Her Majesty the Queen happy, then have a good time all night and go home to forget all about it, or I’ll give you some money and send you somewhere no one will recognize you.”

Olga was somewhat disappointed.

"I wanted to do something."

Franz shook his head and said.

"No need. It's fine as it is. I have an empress and two heirs. We have fulfilled our mission for the family."

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, I can do it too."

Franz interrupted Agrafina before she could finish speaking.

"I can't be bothered with a girl like you. I gave you the opportunity to choose, not to use your imagination. Don't push your luck."

Franz had little interest in spies. A few years ago, he might have been in the mood to tease them, but now he just found it boring.

The atmosphere instantly became awkward. Olga never expected that the person she had carefully chosen would turn out to be a spy. However, a question also arose in her mind: why would her father send a spy to Vienna?

Just as Olga was lost in thought, Franz spoke up again.

"Don't take it too seriously. This is just standard practice for major powers. Vienna has far more than just Russian intelligence agents; various countries have them to varying degrees."

There's an old Eastern saying, "All nations come to pay tribute." Now, Austria is witnessing this grand spectacle of nations coming to pay homage—isn't that a magnificent event in itself?

Franz's magnanimity left Olga speechless, but she didn't know how to refute him.

Left with no other choice, I could only say one thing.

"as long as you are happy."

In fact, Franz was absolutely right; many diplomatic envoys during this period were also intelligence agents.

The extraordinary achievements of the Austrian Empire over the years have made it impossible for other countries to ignore them.

Of course, Austria has also sent spies and intelligence personnel to other countries, with similar objectives: to gather intelligence and counter the other side's intelligence warfare.

To summarize with a line from "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," it's about "bridging information asymmetry, safeguarding national survival, and maximizing national interests."

It can be said that as long as humanity exists, intelligence warfare will never end.

Agrafina was completely bewildered. She couldn't understand why her identity had been exposed, especially since her family had always been so cautious.

But Franz could only say that she underestimated the terrifying power of the state; in fact, the Agrafina family had already been exposed before they even crossed the Russian-Austrian border.

It has nothing to do with whether she is outstanding or not, after all, a large number of new people emerge in Vienna every year, and even if the Austrian Imperial Government is all-powerful, it is impossible to verify the identity of each one.

However, at Franz and Olga's level, any intention to make contact would be thoroughly investigated.

Franz remembered Agrafina because of her striking beauty and Olga's attention.

While pointing out Agrafina's identity was a trivial matter for Franz, it was a matter of life and death for Agrafina.

After all, being exposed as a spy is a disaster, and often it can lead directly to the end of one's life.

Agrafina looked completely lost, and Franz knew she hadn't been listening to him carefully, even though he had clearly shown her the way.

In fact, as long as Agrafina obediently does as Franz says, no one will suspect her, after all, Franz is notoriously unapproachable.

Alternatively, she could accept Franz's suggestion to leave this troubled place and start a new life in an unknown land. With her resources, it wouldn't be difficult for her to make a name for herself.

However, Agrafina did not trust Franz and was probably still planning how to escape the pursuit of the Russian Special Third Section.

Franz didn't want to deal with this daredevil; he simply moved closer to Olga, and Bordeaux, standing nearby, immediately understood what he meant.

Franz suddenly spotted a familiar figure, but it seemed very strange that the person was there at this time.

In fact, it wouldn't matter if people were here, because Franz was like a spotlight at that moment, and he would become the focus of attention wherever he went.

However, the other party didn't seem to intend to play by the usual rules, and instead walked towards Franz.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, would you do me the honor?"

The woman in front of him was naturally no match for the stunning Agrafina beside him, who was the most sought-after actress in Vienna at the time.

An ordinary evening gown could never compare to Olga's unique and precious gown.

But this person somehow managed to exude a captivating charm while wearing that shabby dress.

In comparison, Agrafina's previous appearances didn't seem particularly impressive.

Of course, she also became the focus of the entire event. The people present were talking about it. It wasn't that these important figures had never seen a beautiful woman before, but rather that the beautiful woman was wearing a half-covered mask.

Wearing a mask to meet the royal family is against etiquette, but the severity of the matter depends entirely on the mood of the royal family member.

Although no one expected the emperor and empress to fly into a rage over such a minor offense, Franz's power in Austria had reached its zenith in the history of the Habsburg family.

Coupled with his ruthlessness during the internal purge and those legends, everyone couldn't help but feel a chill for that audacious woman.

Olga watched Franz with great interest. In fact, she was quite satisfied with the man in front of her. Although his behavior was somewhat offensive, he seemed to possess an irresistible charm.

However, one cannot judge Franz by common sense. After all, a normal adult male would not refuse a beauty like Agrafina, much less embarrass her.

In the past, many people had tried to invite Franz, but he almost always refused, giving very straightforward reasons such as not being interested or not having time.

Surprisingly, this time Franz actually stood up and accepted the invitation without removing the other person's mask.

Is it necessary to attract so much attention?

(End of this chapter)